"Thank you, babe. These are gorgeous." I bury my face in them and breathe in their sweet fragrance and smile up at him.
"Like you." He kisses my nose, tosses his empty coffee cup in a nearby garbage, and presses his hand on the small of my back, leading me out of the Market and onto the sidewalk.
I look up and freeze. Fuck.
"What's wrong?" Nate asks and follows my stare. "Shit," he whispers.
Not twenty feet away from us is Carly from the office. She's turned away from us, looking at a hand-made scarf. She pays the vendor and turns her head our way, and her eyes catch mine. I hold my breath, just waiting for her to say something, but she doesn't. Nothing in her expression changes, and it's as though we're strangers. She gathers her shopping bags and walks in the opposite direction of us without looking back.
"She saw us," I whisper.
He kisses my forehead and nuzzles my ear with his nose. "Don't worry," he whispers.
Suddenly, a little brown-haired boy about three years old stops in front of Nate, crying, and looks up at him. "Daddy?"
"Hey, buddy." Nate sets the lobster on the ground at his feet and kneels before the little guy who is obviously lost. "Are you looking for your daddy?"
The boy nods and continues to cry. Nate pats his little shoulder reassuringly and smiles gently. "What's your name."
"Bwian."
"Brian?"
He nods again. "Okay, Brian, let's find your daddy."
Nate hands me the lobster box and takes Brian's tiny hand in his and looks around. He doesn't have to look far as a panicked-faced man comes running over to us.
"Brian! You can't wander away like that!" He pulls the boy up into his arms and kisses his cheek and smiles ruefully at Nate. "Thanks. I swear, you turn your back for a second…"
"No problem," Nate smiles back. "I'm glad you found him."
I've taken in the whole scene with a bit of awe. Nate is so easy with kids. They just seem to be pulled to him.
And for the first time in my life, the thought of having kids doesn't scare the shit out of me. Nate would love us, protect us, and just be… Nate.
Could I be a wife and a mom full time, not consumed with work?
Maybe.
Nate turns back to me and smiles, takes the lobster box out of my hand, and laces our fingers together with his free hand. "Ready to head home?"
Oh. My. God.
Yes. I could definitely make a family with this man. And it renders me speechless.
"Baby?" He frowns when I just stand here, staring at him.
I shake myself out of my trance and grin. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go home."